Steering apparatus of vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242096-B2
Application number	US-201916601774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2019
Priority date	Jun 18, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A steering apparatus of a vehicle includes a plurality of coupling portions formed in a rack housing of a gear box and coupled to mounting portions of a vehicle body; and a nut member having a support surface and installed in each of the mounting portions of the vehicle body. In particular, each of the plurality of coupling portions has a seating surface formed as a curved surface with a predetermined curvature, and the seating surfaces are respectively seated on the support surface of the nut member installed in each of the mounting portions of the vehicle body such that the rack housing of the gear box is fixed to the vehicle body by a bolt which passes through each of the plurality of coupling portions to be engaged with the nut member of each of the mounting portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering apparatus of a vehicle, comprising:
a gear box having a rack housing, a plurality of coupling portions formed in the rack housing and respectively coupled to mounting portions of a vehicle body of the vehicle; and
a nut member having a support surface and installed in each of the mounting portions of the vehicle body,
wherein each of the plurality of coupling portions has a seating surface formed as a curved surface with a predetermined curvature, and the seating surfaces are respectively seated on the support surface of the nut member installed in each of the mounting portions of the vehicle body,
wherein the rack housing of the gear box is fixed to the vehicle body by a bolt which passes through each of the plurality of coupling portions and engages with the nut member of each of the mounting portions, and
wherein the nut member includes:
a body portion which has a screw thread formed on an inner circumferential surface of the body portion and which is fixed to the vehicle body; and
a head portion integrally formed with the body portion and having the support surface formed on an upper surface of the head portion.

2. The steering apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the seating surface is a convex curved surface formed on a lower surface of each of the plurality of coupling portions; and
wherein when the seating surface of each of the plurality of coupling portions is seated on the support surface of the nut member and before the bolt is engaged with the nut member, the plurality of coupling portions of the rack housing are rotatable with respect to the nut members of the mounting portions.

3. The steering apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the support surface of the nut member and the seating surface of each of the plurality of coupling portions are curved surfaces having the same curvature.

4. The steering apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bolt has a flange portion which extends in a radial direction of the bolt, and
wherein a coupling surface is formed on a lower surface of the flange portion and seated on a bonding surface formed on an upper surface of each of the plurality of coupling portions, the coupling surface and bonding surface formed as curved surfaces each having a predetermined curvature.

5. The steering apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the coupling surface is formed as a convex curved surface and the bonding surface is formed as a concave curved surface such that the bolt is tiltable with respect to the plurality of coupling portions in a state in which the coupling surface is seated on and bonded to the bonding surface.

6. The steering apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined curvature of the coupling surface of the flange portion is the same as the predetermined curvature of the bonding surface of the plurality of coupling portions.

7. The steering apparatus of claim 4 , wherein an inner diameter of a coupling hole formed in each of the plurality of coupling portions is greater than an outer diameter of the body portion of the bolt.

8. The steering apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the coupling hole formed in each of the plurality of coupling portions has a shape of which inner diameter gradually increases toward an upper side of the coupling hole.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Park Young Uk

Classifications

• B62D21/09

  Means for mounting load bearing surfaces · CPC title

• B62D27/065 Primary

  using screwthread (connection of crossbeam to A- pillars B62D25/147; mounting load bearing surfaces B62D21/09; securing mudguards B62D25/163; connections for synthetic parts B62D29/048) · CPC title

• B62D21/155

  Sub-frames or underguards · CPC title

• B62D21/00

  Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted (combined frame and vehicle body B62D23/00 {; characterised by the material thereof B62D29/00}) · CPC title

• B62D3/12 Primary

  of rack-and-pinion type · CPC title